This work was created as a reflection on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tomáš Baťa, the founder of the footwear empire whose vision long ago transcended the borders of the Czech lands. The project’s title, Batanagar, refers to a specific industrial district in West Bengal, India, established by the Baťa company in the 1930s. This location became a symbol of global expansion and a unique blending of Zlín’s functionalism with Indian culture.
The central element of the piece is an original interpretation of footwear that embodies a dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and visual symbolism. The rear part of the shoe is decorated with a striking grid created using the henna tattooing technique. This organic process of pigment application, deeply rooted in Indian traditions, transfers industrial order—reminiscent of both reptilian skin patterns and Baťa’s iconic brick architecture—directly onto the body and the product.
The work does not merely present Baťa as a historical figure; rather, through a haptic experience and the ritual of henna, it explores his footprint within the Indian environment. Batanagar is a celebration of movement, expansion, and the continuous connection of distant worlds that the Baťa family once initiated.
